A Common Sense Win in Virginia Redistricting, SCOTUS Defends Free Speech, Tackling the National Debt, and Missouri Tax Reform: Jonathan Williams on The Hugh Hewitt Show

Hugh Hewitt spoke with ALEC President and Chief Economist Jonathan Williams about Virginia’s redistricting ruling, a recent U.S. Supreme Court free speech decision, and the growing concern surrounding the nation’s nearly $40 trillion debt.

The conversation opened with the Virginia Supreme Court’s decision striking down a proposed congressional map, which Williams explained was a rational response to the overreach by progressives in the state that ignored long-standing processes and procedures.

“It’s an example of the progressives in Virginia having an overreach moment,” Williams said. “They bulldozed through all kinds of longstanding processes and procedures in Virginia and state law and the state constitution to protect against this kind of naked political power grab.”

Williams said the ruling restored fairness to the congressional map and reflected broader frustration across the state.

“Thankfully, common sense prevailed in Virginia Supreme Court, and we get a much more rational map back again for the congressional lines,” he explained. “You’d see signs, even hand painted signs on barns and out in fields, saying, you know, ‘don’t Fairfax our communities.’”

The discussion then shifted to a recent unanimous U.S. Supreme Court decision involving donor privacy protections for nonprofit organizations. Williams praised the ruling, noting that ALEC filed an amicus brief supporting the New Jersey pregnancy center at the center of the case.

“It’s a great day for free speech,” Williams said. “Whenever we can lend a helpful hand to those that are being attacked and potentially chilled from free speech rights, they absolutely deserve their moment to make a free speech claim in federal court.”

Hewitt also asked Williams about the long-term economic implications of the national debt nearing $40 trillion.

“It’s dire news,” Williams said. “We have to get serious about the fact that, on a bipartisan basis, this has been a problem for not years, but decades.”

Williams argued that Washington should look to the states for examples of fiscal discipline.

“We’ve got to cut up the federal credit card, and we’ve got to start looking at ways to balance our budget,” he explained. “Forty-nine of the 50 states have balanced budget requirements.”

He specifically pointed to Indiana as a national model for responsible budgeting practices, as featured in the recent op-ed written with Indiana State Comptroller Elise Nieshalla in The Hill.

“Indiana is really the gold standard of state balanced budget requirements,” Williams said. “We think Washington ought to learn a thing or two from the states.”

The conversation concluded with Hewitt highlighting Missouri’s effort to eliminate its personal income tax and how it aligns with growth states like Texas, Florida, and Tennessee. Williams gave high praise to the Missouri legislature’s initiative to send the income tax elimination proposal to the ballot for voter approval, while also highlighting other significant legislative efforts in Missouri, including the Taxpayer Bill of Rights (TABOR) and the REINS Act, which aim to limit state spending and provide legislative oversight over costly regulations.

“It’s incredible,” he emphasized. “It is a massive step in the right direction.”